Three Days

by Donna Jo Napoli

While driving in the Italian countryside, eleven-year-old Jackie's father suddenly collapses at the wheel. Fear for her father's life quickly turns to terror when two Italian men kidnap her and drive to their remote home in the countryside.  Jackie soon discovers that her captors are actually a family, plagued by a mysterious secret. Award-winning novelist Donna Jo Napoli has created a haunting thriller that gives life to Jackie's utter desperation and determination to escape.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery, Italy, Realistic Fiction, Adventure, Thriller

151 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2001

About the author

Donna Jo Napoli is both a linguist and a writer of children's and YA fiction. She loves to garden and bake bread, and even dreams of moving to the woods and becoming a naturalist.

At various times her house and yard have been filled with dogs, cats, birds, and rabbits. For thirteen years she had a cat named Taxi, and liked to go outside and call, "Taxi!" to make the neighbors wonder. But dear dear Taxi died in 2009.

She has five children, seven grandchildren, and currently lives outside Philadelphia. She received her BA in mathematics in 1970 and her Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures in 1973, both from Harvard University, then did a postdoctoral year in Linguistics at MIT. She has since taught linguistics at Smith College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Georgetown University, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and Swarthmore College. It was at UM that she earned tenure (in 1981) and became a full professor (in 1984). She has held visiting positions at the University of Queensland (Australia), the University of Geneva (Switzerland), Capital Normal University of Beijing (China), the University of Newcastle (UK), the University of Venice at Ca' Foscari (Italy), and the Siena School for the Liberal Arts (Italy) as well as lectured at the University of Sydney (Australia), Macquarie University (Australia), the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), and the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) and held a fellowship at Trinity College Dublin. In the area of linguistics she has authored, coauthored, edited, or coedited 17 books, ranging from theoretical linguistics to practical matters in language structure and use, including matters of interest to d/Deaf people. She has held grants and fellowships from numerous sources, including the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, the Sloan Foundation.

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storyline was good...but I wish there was more.

[Jacob Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the storyline; it was engaging and easy to follow. I do, however, wish there was a little bit more, or that more was given, perhaps an extra chapter or two. The ending felt quite rushed, maybe even cheesy. Lastly, even though Donna Jo does a great job of writing from the perspective of an 11 year old, I think I would have enjoyed this read more if it were written from the perspective of an older Jackie reflecting on her experience.

[Kaylyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books in elementary school, I loved it so much that I actually kept the library book for 3 years (oops) and never returned it so I had to buy it.
As an adult, I wanted to reread this again and see if it gave the same impression- the short answer: it did not.

Although I loved the writing style and the emotion that flowed into me from the words and pages, the simplicity of it just seemed wrong and boring- I feel there could have been off-shoots to create a more dynamic reading experience and explain a bit more about the kidnapping situation as well as more about the people involved. I think this is a great young adult book, and it certainly leaves a lasting impression, but reading it as an adult leaves something to be desired...

[Meghan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really like this book. It wasn't very well written; personally, I didn't want to finish reading it...but I can't just stop reading a book in the middle of it. I liked the story line: a girl and her father travel to Italy, the father has a heartattack and dies while driving, and the girl is kidnapped. I won't give away the ending incase anyone wants to read it...which I don't suggest doing!

[Deana Starnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay - this is a brand new book in the library. I started reading it last night and finished today. This is a "must read" book. Young Jackie is on a trip of a lifetime with her father, when the unimaginable happens. What she goes through for 3 days is very suspenseful - gripping - WOW! It has a happy ending - that is all I will say about that! You really should read this book, it is not eerie or soppy, a very good story line - come to the library and check it out.
I know you will enjoy reading it. You won't want to put it down, until the very end......

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three Days, I think this is one of the best books I have read. It was really good from the beginning to the end, and I think that alot of people will enjoy this book.

[Lee]

Not rating this because I'm not really sure how I feel about it. I feel like I would have eaten this up as a kid. As an adult I'd feel a little uncomfortable giving this to a child to read, but that's probably just the extra years I've had making the ending feel Off in ways that seem dangerous if taken too seriously. Or maybe I'm just not giving kids enough credit in media literacy. I guess we'll never really know.

[Aubrey Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that will take you to a foreign country, with poeple that don't speak your language. It's fulled with action and adventure. You will want to keep reading and never ever end. After you are done reading you will be depressed because you will want it to keep going and going and never to stop. If you are just waiting to hear about this book summary read ahead, but if you want to read it yourself don't keep reading and trust this is a rather good book! Believe me I know!
It starts out with Jackie and her father going to Italy on a business trip for three weeks. Her dad wanted her to come with him because this trip is longer than usual. It was going really great but Jackie was a little home sick. Then one day after they had eaten their ice cream and driving to the hotel Jackie's dad was unconscious and she had not known that he had died yet or at least she didn't want to believe he was. Just then a car pulled up, it was a white van with two poeple in it. It was a dad and a son the dad looked 60 and the son looked to be 38. They got out and Jackie ask them to help her and asked them to take her father to the hospital. The men got into her father's rented car and took out everything that was hers, and at that time Jackie never suspected a thing. The took her on the road, but Jackie was confused because they never took the exit which leads to the hospital. Suddenly she realized she had been kidnapped and she had to escape before thay got to where ever they were going. The only problem was they speak Italian not English, and jackie dosen't know hardly a thing in Italian. She tried to escape two times, but she failed because the son, that is what she calls him, kept catching her. She tried sceaming, but everything that she tried was failed because everything they went by was deserted, or no people were living there. Finally they got to their destination, which is a house, and there was a woman there probably as old as her mother. She had long red hair and was rather skinny and her name was Cladaia, she found that out because she can say here name in English. Later she finds out that the grandpa, the other man in the car, was the dad of Cladaia which meant that Cladaia was the son's sister. The very idea made her sick because she hated him so much. When she got to trust her, Cladaia let her go outside and on one of her adventures she found a goelode which is a expensive gem and there was something logged in to it. She opened it to find that there was a hair pin with a bird on it. So she kept it thinking that it belonged to a little girl she saw pictures of on the wall, in her room. Then on the thrid day of her staying there she and Cladaia wonder off and found a cemetery with a grave stone that said in honor of Antionia, which she recalled that earlier the son was whispering that name on the way to the house. Then she put it all together The kid in those pictures was dead and that they brought her to Cladaia to be her daughter because Cladaia was her mother. The grandpa was Cladaia's dad and the son's. So she found out the family secret and than Cladaia started to cry while she was bending down to look at the grave stone. jackie went over and braided Cladaia's hair and she pined up with that pin and Cladaia knew it was her daughter's right away. Cladaia understud that her daughter could never be replaced and so she took Jackie's bag of clothing and they ran to the car and started it up then the son came out of he house in a towel and he yelled for them to come back. She took Jackie to the train station and left Jackie on the train but she got off. They waved good-bye to each other and the train left. The final words she said was that: she planned what to say to the conducter when he asked for her tickets she said that she would point to the pictures in the news papers and that he would realized that, that was her dad and that she was lost and her momma was looking for her.

That was the ending, even tough it was not a good one at least you can make up an ending.
Well, until next itme keep reading and always try to keep up with the book reports by Aubrey. Keep reading and good luck on your reports.

Warning no coyping this book report or the punishment will be bad. You know why? It is because Mrs.Des Camps knows if you read the book of if you copyed it.

[Jenny Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story about a young girl, Jackie’s, kidnapping is a pretty suspenseful read. One of the main things that I think makes this novel work is the fact that Jackie is kidnapped while on a business trip with her father in a foreign country (Italy). The language barrier that this presents between prisoner and kidnappers makes the book that much more heart-pounding because you are hampered, alongside Jackie, in figuring out what is going on, why she has been kidnapped, and what will happen next.

I read this book when I was quite young, and it must have left an impact on me because whenever I get into discussions about books that I’ve read in my youth, I always seem to find myself saying, “Oh yeah, there was that one about a girl getting kidnapped.” But anyone who knows me knows that I have a horrid memory, so that’s about all I could remember about this book. That’s why I decided that I wanted to read it again. I wanted to see if I liked it as much the second time around. Honestly, I don’t think I did. I really struggled between giving it three and four stars. A huge part of that is probably that I’m ten plus years older than the first time that I read it. I do, however, feel that this is a fairly good book. I would recommend it to younger readers that are trying to make a transition into more mature young adult literature. It has the engaging plot that tween readers gravitate towards, while presenting an issue that requires deeper thinking.
I don’t really have any warnings about drugs/alcohol, language, or sex. However, kidnapping can be a very frightening issue to some younger readers. In addition, Jackie’s father dies of a heart attack at the beginning of the book. Those are just two things that I would keep in mind when recommending this book to younger readers.

[Alec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three Days
Three Days, written by Donna Napoli, is a story about a 12-year-old girl in Italy with her father. They don’t live in Italy, Jackie, the main character, is with her dad on a business trip. After a meal at a fancy restaurant, Jackie’s dad has a heart attack on a highway. Jackie’s dad uses all his strength to pull over, and then shortly after, dies. Jackie, not knowing what to do, gets out of the car and starts flailing her arms at oncoming cars. After ten minutes a van finally pulls, and two tall Italian men exit the van. They both inspect Jackie’s dead father, and motion for her to get into the van. Jackie, thinking there going to the police, comes to the disturbing realization after they pass two exits in a row. She’s been kidnapped.

See can’t speak her kidnapper’s language, she just kicks and screams. After nearly twelve hours in a hot van, her kidnappers are actually kind to her, they offer her food and drinks. Jackie, however, doesn’t accept, she isn’t their friend, she’s their captive. They finally arrive at an incredibly beautiful house by the Atlantic. A woman exits the house, opens the car door, and starts screeching at the two men in Italian. The woman escorts Jackie into the house, where she cooks her food. After the day ends, Jackie is thinking that this woman is kind, loving and generous. The woman shows Jackie her bed, and Jackie sits. The woman hands Jackie a plastic bag, it contains a toothbrush, clothes, and other necessities. Jackie isn’t going to leave, this woman is making her stay.

[Lauren Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished the book Three Days , written by Donna Jo Napoli. Even though it is a short book, it is still a good book. There are no other sequels. This book was good, and I will tell you why.
If I had to choose a character to be, I would choose none of them! I wouldn’t want to be Jackie because she gets kidnapped by two Italian people. Also, she is on a trip and her dad has a heart attack while driving! Then, the Italian people take Jackie. One of the worst parts is she doesn’t know any Italian. So, wouldn’t want to be her. I would most certainly not want to be the dad! He has a heart attack, as I said before. I don’t want to die anytime soon. I wouldn’t Three Days
want to be the two Italian people either because they kidnap a person! I don’t know about you but I don’t want to kidnap anybody!
This book made me feel like I would fall off of my chair because this book is so exciting! Jackie tries to escape a couple times. I thought she would keep running, but she always came back. I thought she would get caught all of the times she ran away. Also, another good part was when her dad had the heart attack. I didn’t know if someone was going to help her because it was night time. I never thought she would get kidnapped though.
I really liked this book. I would recommend this book to about anybody because it is so good. I hope this would never happen to anybody in real life. If there was a sequel to this book I would definitely read it. That was my review on the book Three Days.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have either read this long long ago and forgot about it, or I read/watched something very similar to this. As it was going I was like "I think I know what's happening". This was a super fast read, and the MC was smart and kind. I liked watching her figure things out and be smart about what she needed to do to get away (although the ending wasn't about her taking action as much as it was about her connecting with Claudia).

I'm honestly not sure what I think about the ending. Emotionally for the character I think it worked, but seriously, the son and dad were so wrong to take her, no matter how well-intentioned they were, and I feel like the ending is too soft on that as a whole. Like is that an okay message to give to kids? This is in the kids section in my library, and it makes me a bit uncomfortable that the justice is so easily dismissed.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture this: an eleven-year-old girl is on a business trip with her father in Italy. One night they are driving to their hotel room when he has a heart attack. He is able to pull off to the side of the road, and the girl desperately tries to get help, in a country where she does not speak the language. Two men finally stop and pick her up, but instead of taking her to the police, or to a hospital, they just drive. And keep driving. Where are they taking her? What will happen?

A good juvenile thriller - this is exactly the kind of book I loved when I was a kid.

[Amber Whittle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a very long time ago. All I could remember was a girl getting kidnapped while driving in Italy. It left quite the impression on me, so I'm glad I figured out which book it was.

[Rene Bote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Klappentext:
Stell dir vor, du bist mit deinem Vater in einem fremden Land unterwegs und er bricht plötzlich über dem Steuer zusammen.
Stell dir vor, du versuchst verzweifelt andere Autos anzuhalten, aber niemand bleibt stehen.
Stell dir vor, zwei Männer nehmen dich mit. Aber sie fahren nicht zur Polizei oder zu einem Krankenhaus... sondern einfach immer weiter... und hören nicht auf dich.

Über die Autorin (Quellen: Wikipedia, Portrait im Buch):
Donna Jo Napoli, geboren 1948 in Miami, ist fünffache Mutter und lebt mit ihrer Familie in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Ihre Vorfahren stammen aus Venedig und Kalabrien. Sie studierte Sprachwissenschaften, Allgemeine Linguistik, italienische Literatur und Mathematik. Donna Jo Napoli blickt auf diverse Lehrtätigkeiten an Hochschulen zurück und verfasst neben Schriften zu ihren Fachgebieten Kinder- und Jugendbücher, Kurzgeschichten, Lyrik und Essays.

Persönlicher Eindruck:
Donna Jo Napoli schickt ihre elfjährige Protagonistin auf eine emotionale Achterbahnfahrt. Jackie fungiert als Ich-Erzählerin, die am Anfang unheimlich flatterhaft wirkt. Im Lauf der Geschichte ändert sich das, nachdem der Vater, bei dem sie einfach nur Kind sein konnte und sich um nichts zu kümmern brauchte, nicht mehr da ist, muss sie sich selbst helfen. Dabei macht sie eine deutliche Entwicklung durch, besinnt sich auf ihre Stärken und lernt, mit schwachen Momenten umzugehen. Das ist kein gerader Weg, sie muss Rückschläge hinnehmen und sehnt sich in die Geborgenheit von früher zurück.
Dazu kommt das Problem der Verständigung: Jackie spricht kein Italienisch, ihre Entführer verstehen kein Wort Englisch. Sie kann also allenfalls aus Tonfall und Mimik zu erschließen versuchen, um was es geht, wenn die Entführer sich unterhalten, und muss sich mit Händen und Füßen mit ihnen verständigen. Es werden nur sehr wenige italienische Sätze wiedergegeben, sodass auch Leser, die des Italienischen mächtig sind, keinen nennenswerten Wissensvorsprung gegenüber Jackie gewinnen.
Auf den letzten 30 Seiten entwickelt sich die Geschichte zusätzlich in Richtung eines Abenteuers, als Jackie sich traut, die Dinge in die Hand zu nehmen, und die Hintergründe ihrer Entführung aufdeckt. Als Leser ahnt man es schon früher, aber das nimmt dem Ende nicht die Spannung, zumal bis kurz vor Schluss offen bleibt, welche Konsequenzen sich daraus ergeben.

Fazit:
Nach wohlig-flatterhaftem Auftakt ein spannendes und tragisches Abenteuer.

[Daniel Loendorf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would easily rate this book a good 5 out of 5. This book talks about a girl named Jackie that got kidnapped in Italy by two men when her father collapsed while driving. Two men(father and son) pulled up and captured her when she thought that they were taking her to a hospital, but they weren't. They took her to a house and there is a girl named Claudia was trying to help Jackie escape. Their first attempt was when they tried to escape by running to try to get to town when the father and son were gone. Jackie was highly afraid of snakes and Jackie and Claudia encountered a snake and Jackie would not go towards it so they had to take a different route and Jackie screwed up by stopping a truck and the driver was mad and started chasing them and at that moment the father and son showed up and took them back to the house. They kept trying to escape until one day the father and son left the house and Claudia let Jackie outside. Jackie was trying to plan her escape. Will she escape? I will let you read it to find out. I highly recommend that if you like to read things about kidnaps and them trying to get away then you should definitely read this book. I love books that I can actually get into and understand and it is easy to understand a book that you will actually enjoy. This is the 2nd book that is fiction that I have actually been able to follow this book because I enjoyed every single page of this book. Please read it.

[Marques · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Three Days by Donna Jo Napoli is a short but interesting read. The book is about a young girl named Jackie who goes on a trip with her father to Italy. Her father is a successful businessman, who can speak a few languages including Italian. For Jackie, the trip is like a vacation for her, as she will tour Italy, and spend time with her father. However, disaster strikes at the unluckiest time for Jackie’s father, and Jackie is left in disbelief as a bad situation turns to an even worse situation. This book actually did keep me turning the pages, as I find crime related stories interesting, and this book happened to have a big crime committed. My favorite part of the book was when Cladaia helped Jackie escape from the rest of Cladaia’s evil family. One thing i really disliked about this book in particular is the way it ended. It was a big cliffhanger as we never know what happened next. Some questions I still have are, “What happened to Jackie next?”, “Is Jackie’s dad still alive?”, and “Are Jackie’s kidnappers just going to remain free from this crime?” Overall I thought this was a good book; It was a very nice and simple short read. I would rate the book four stars, and recommend it to teenagers, or people who are fascinated by crime stories. However be aware that the ending deserves a 1 out of 5 stars as if the author just ran out of ideas, or got bored.

[Caden Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three days was a very fast read. The book starts off with a young girl named Jackie traveling with her father. They are on a business trip for her father in Italy. When they are on their way back to the hotel Jackie gets kidnapped by two men. They take her back to their house on a secluded hill, surrounded by vineyards, with a dirt road leading up to it. She spends three days trying to escape the house. While she is there she befriends a girl named Claudia that lives in the house with the two men. One man is the Claudia’s father and the other is Claudia’s brother. She tries to escape many times within the first two days she is there, but does not succeed. There were three main things that I really liked about the book. The first being that it was a short read. It took me around a total of two hours to finish the book. The second thing that I liked about the book was that it gave a good story for only being 151 pages long. The third and final thing that I liked about the book was that it gets right into the story, it starts off with a lot of things going on and it keeps a steady pace throughout the book. The one thing that I disliked about the book was that it had a lack of vocabulary. The book didn’t really use any vocabulary above a 7th grade level. All around the book was a good book to read if you are looking for an action packed short read.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick and suspenseful read that I think my reluctant readers would love...probably girls more than boys. Eleven-year-old Jackie is kidnapped in Italy after her father dies on a father-daughter trip. She is taken by two men, and has no idea where they are taking her or why. The fact that she knows no Italian and they speak no English makes her confinement all the more frightening, until she meets Claudia and spends three days in captivity trying to unravel the mystery and reason for her being taken. I thought the ending wrapped up a little too quickly, but the suspense from the start had me read the story in one quick sitting.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jackie and her dad are on a business trip in Italy. As they are driving home from a meeting, her father has a heart attack. She desperately tries to flag a car down but no one will stop. She is quite rattled when two men finally stop. They guide her into the car and drive away. They speak no English and Jackie has no idea where they are going other than that it is far away. They finally arrive at a house in the mountains where there is a woman, Claudia, who doesn't speak English either. Slowly Jackie comes to realize that they intend to keep her because Claudia's own daughter had died. So Jackie must find an escape.

[Strawberri Mystery · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little spoilers: It started off as promising but turned out confusing. A girl is on a business
trip with her father who suddenly has a heart attack while driving. The girl gets out of the car and yells for help, dozens of people pass her but no one helps her. Finally 2 men picks her up and takes her to their house, their plan is to replace her with the daughter that died years ago. After that the story just talks about them sitting at a table eating and going outside. The ending was rushed and confusing.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping, suspenseful story of a dream vacation that turns to tragedy when Jackie's father is killed in a car wreck and she is taken prisoner. Her unfamiliarity with the language isolates her even as much as her captivity. The characters and situations are believable, and Jackie comes to realize that she has been through a life changing experience that leaves her wanting to protect a grieving mother.

[Andres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally I wold have liked the book to be a little longer, but it still was a very good book. It had very good storytelling and excellent characters, even though I would have preferred that some characters like Jackie's father would have more backstory. I really liked how it showed to the reader the feeling of being in a country where people do not speak the same language as you and the verbal isolation that comes with it. Would recommend to others who are looking for a short read

[Child960801 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book opens with an eleven year old girl and her father travelling through Italy when the unthinkable happens and he collapses beside the road. When someone finally stops to help, it is two men who kidnap the girl taking her far into the country for reasons of their own.

I found this an interesting story. I didn't find it too intense, but I think I would have freaked me out a lot more if I had read it as a child.

[abigail☾]

ever since i read this in middle school, i’d been thinking about this book but couldn’t remember any major details or what it was called…

i finally found it!

i can’t tell you if it was good, or bad, or even mediocre. but i read it over ten years ago and i still think about it to this day. i also don’t want to reread it. or at least i don’t feel like it. i just am excited to finally remember what it was called.

[Carlie E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this book is very interesting so far i haven't finished it yet but so far from what I've read it pulls me in and it makes me want to keep reading. I cant wait to see were the book goes from here.

[Sarah Ingersoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was completely sucked into the story. I was routing for Jackie and looking for a way out right along side her. The one thing I didn't like was how abrupt the end of the story was. While it didn't really leave any unanswered questions, I was still left wanting more.

[Kelley Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it will circulate, it was a good story. It is that book-fair-kidnapping genre, but set in the south of Italy. It was a well done firsts person narrative, with an eerie, scary quality for a book where no one actually gets hurt.

[Cilla Savary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing is excellent. The story wraps up just a little too fast. And part of me feels it is a rough topic for kids of any age. Certainly for parents. But the story is masterfully told. The characters feel real.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three Days is a fast-paced suspenseful read about a young girl's kidnapping in Italy after her father perishes from a heart attack while driving. Although one wonders why there were no consequences for the kidnapping, it is a story of loss and redemption.